Since she was the only girl in the group, Mari was given full reign of The Rampage in the mornings until she was properly dressed. Getting ready for the day always required extra effort for her. After she showered, she couldn't go straight to clothes. The fur on her spine had to be combed first. It had been tricky when she was younger since it was difficult to reach, but over the years she had adapted. She could now easily shift the comb between her hands and tail to properly straighten the white fuzz. Once it was to her liking, then she got dressed.

Although she loved being a Fetchling, her outfits had to accommodate her extra parts which limited her options. Skirts were an easy choice. Not only did she like how they looked, she could either have her tail through a hole in the back or swinging free underneath depending on the style. Today she picked out a short, pleated skirt, that buttoned over her tail, and a pair of tights to go underneath. Shirts were just as difficult. Anything that went over her head had to have a hole big enough to get around her horns. To avoid that problem, most of her tops either buttoned or had a zipper in the front. This morning however, she did manage to find a spaghetti strap halter top that easily went over her horns.

After she was dressed, she smiled at herself in the mirror. She felt especially cute today and wanted to do more. She dug out a box full hair accessories from the cupboards and sat on her cot. One of the best things about her tail tassel was that she could decorate it. She took it over her lap and weaved ribbons into several braids with the long fur. Quite pleased with herself, she giggled at the results. Then she shifted her attention to her hair. A braid there would be nice too. However, that was also tricky as it was hard to repeatedly reach around her horns. This would require some help.

"Papa?"

Mako looked up from his morning coffee when he heard his granddaughter. He had been relaxing by the campfire with Ryu who was feeding Juji. Today was a "free day" for the teens so there wouldn't be any training, outside the standard morning exercises, unless they wanted to.

"What is it sweetie?" he asked as she approached his camp stool with a small box in her hands.

"Will you braid my hair please?" she asked. "Just the top layer."

"Of course." He set his coffee on the ground and offered his seat to her. While he began combing her hair, a chuckle came from Ryu.

"You know how to braid hair, Chief?" the boy snickered.

Mari gave Ryu a confused look. "Why is that funny?"

For her, it wasn't anything unusual to have him braid her hair. But Mako understood why the boy was laughing. Time for a lesson.

"Yeah Kid. Why are you laughing?" Mako piled on as he weaved the hair. The boy's laughter slowly stopped.

"I don't know," Ryu grumped as he folded his arms across his chest at being called-out. "Isn't that something only moms do."

Mako smirked. "I will admit that Shizu is better at it than me, but I learned so that I could take care of the the girls as well as her. I'm sure I've mentioned we raised a daughter also. It's something you should learn too if you ever decide to have kids." He finished the braid and, as he had explained, it wasn't as neat as Shizu would have done, but it was nice enough.

"Whatever…" came the usual response from the teen.

"Thank you Papa," Mari said once he was finished and gave him an appreciative kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome," he replied as she left to replace her items in the truck. It was then that Koji emerged from his tent.

"About time you got up," Ryu sassed as soon as he spotted the other teen. "I thought I was going to have to watch the Chief braid hair all day."

Mako rolled his eyes. He knew the boy was deliberately trying to get a rise out of him.

Koji was clearly confused but shrugged the comment aside.

"Hey man, it's our free day. I can sleep-in," he replied. He stopped dead-in-his tracks when Mari returned from The Rampage.

"Oh? Good morning Koji," she said with her usual bright smile.

Koji couldn't take his eyes off her.

"G, Good morning Mari," he stammered. "You look really nice today."

"Do you think so? Thank you," she replied. Then she spun around on her toe causing her skirt and tail to swirl around her. "What do you think Ryu?"

The boy flushed red as he sunk in his chair. "I don't know. You look okay I guess."

The slightest hint of a frown covered Mari's face before vanishing as if it was never there. It must not have been the answer she was hoping to hear.

Mako wasn't sure what to make of the exchange. Was his little Fetchling flirting?

"What should we do today?" Mari asked as she took a seat near the fire. "We could go for a walk or maybe play a game with your dice Koji."

"Except Koji's a lousy cheat," Ryu huffed. He'd learned his lesson after the last game they'd played.

"Cheat!" Juji echoed.

Koji ignored the comments. "I wish we had a televiewer," he said as he slumped in his chair. "Being out in the woods all the time is boring."

"A book is better then any of that garbage on the TV," Mako noted. He wasn't an avid reader himself, but he did prefer it when given the option.

"Why don't you tell us a story, Papa?" Mari suggested. "Like, how did you and Nana meet? Or maybe when you proposed. I bet it was romantic," she finished with a dreamy gaze.

Ryu rolled his eyes. "No one wants to hear that mushy stuff. But I bet you have all sorts of exciting police stories Chief."

It was the exact opposite of Koji's reaction. "I think Mari's idea sounds good." However, it seemed clear he was only agreeing to appease her the way he kept glancing at her.

While they were discussing the matter, Ryu suddenly grabbed his head. By now, they had seen the reaction enough times to understand exactly what was happening.

"You okay Kid," Mako asked once the incident had passed.

"Yeah…" Ryu responded with a scowl. "Damn, that's annoying."

"What did you see?" Koji asked.

"I don't know…I was riding a polar-bear dog and the Chief was behind me. Then there was a man with a pair of bloody gashes down his body. I think I was trying to heal him. There was a lot of water," Ryu responded. He couldn't explain any further as his visions were often too short to make any sense.

"A man with a bloody gash…" Mako took a moment to think. "That must have been Keto."

"Who was Keto, Papa?" Mari asked.

"He was my first partner in the Bureau of Spirit Investigations," he casually responded. "This was shortly after I became cursed." All three teens were now staring expectantly at him. The can of worms had been opened. He settled himself on his stool with his coffee and began his story.

Republic City, 44 years earlier:

Mako entered his office and hung his cloak on the wall. It had taken him a little over a month to come to terms with the fact that he was permanently stuck as a half-spirit. There was a lot of moping and self-loathing, along with several broken mirrors, but he eventually got over it with Bolin's help. His brother had been with him the entire time and made sure he didn't sink too far. Bolin would often remind him that he was still himself, only now with a few extra parts. Nothing else had changed. Nothing important anyway.

Once he finally felt confident enough, he returned to work; his badge and rank restored to him. The new office wasn't a promotion however. It was meant to keep him out of sight. Despite Chief Beifong's personal acceptance of him, she wouldn't put him on the streets. She didn't want him in the precinct proper either where he might accidentally scare anyone looking for help. Maybe given some time people would accept a half-spirit cop, but not now. Not when tensions between spirits and humans were still high. In the meantime, he had been relegated to other duties, specifically, file clerk.

Now that his secret was out amongst the precinct, his fellow officers were of three camps. The largest were the deriders. These were mostly older officers who were happy to see the young upstart and former triad member get knocked down a few pegs. They'd waltz into his office with the grin of someone who'd just bagged their trophy fish, drop their files unceremoniously on his desk, often times letting them fall to the floor, then leave safe in the knowledge that they didn't have to clean-up the mess. Mako didn't complain or report them. Already there were whispers of favoritism around him; many saying that the Chief was keeping him on the force out of pity instead of his skills. Nonsense like that. Even after all the work he'd done to help put Tokuga away, they still discredited him. He tolerated it lest he exasperate the rumors.

Next were the cowerers: officers that were frightened of him either because of his looks, or specifically because he was half-spirit. Many of them still clung to tales from their homelands, handed-down through generations, about spirits; none of which ended well. They would come in, heads held low as if looking at him would cause them to be cursed, and leave their files without saying a word. At least they were polite.

Last were the indifferent ones. These officers he could count on one hand. They saw him as just another file clerk. They would leave their loads without so much as a hello and treated him like any other cog in the machine.

This particular morning he was greeted by a mess on the floor. Definitely left by deriders from the over-night shift. Using his tail, he closed the door, denying any lingering officers the opportunity to see his annoyance at the mess. Despite not wanting it, he was getting pretty adept with the appendage. He squatted down, picked up the loose papers, and piled them on his desk until he had every last scrap. It would take a good chunk of his morning just to make sure they got back into the appropriate files. Once he had everything, he sat down a backless stool, his preferred seat now so his tail could hang freely over any side, and went to work

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, he'd sorted files enough times that he had a system in place for such messes. He started by matching the handwriting on the written reports and piled the unique scrawls together. It made it easier than trying to match two dozen files with twice as many papers. Only after all that did he go about the nuances of matching report to file, scrutinizing each page before placing them. It was tedious work, but he took pride in it all the same. While he was sorting, a report caught his attention. A rogue spirit had taken residence in a family's stove. It had been left unresolved as the officer assigned to it had been unable to convince the spirit to leave. A note scrawled in the margins, not meant for the public view, read that the family affected "would have better luck moving." He stared at it for several minutes. It wasn't right. Even if the officer in question couldn't convince the spirit to leave, they should have gone to Korra or the Airbenders for help. The family didn't deserve to be put out by the whims of a spirit. Both sides had to learn to live together. His tail twitched his annoyance and his eyes shifted to the appendage as if it was the first time he had ever seen it.

Or me. He was half-spirit. Maybe he could get the pest to leave. He looked to the long cloak he normally used to cover himself. Too conspicuous. Maybe he could find something better. He scooped up his ordered files and stepped out of his office. Nothing to see here. Just off to the file room like any other day. Nobody gave him a second glance as he walked through the annals of the building. He went to the file room, quickly dumped his load except the spirit report, then ducked into one of the equipment rooms. There, he sorted through the extra gear until he found a long raincoat with an attached hood and the Republic City Police logo plastered on the back. A little unseasonal but should do the trick. He tucked his tail under his shirt, slipped on the slicker, and covered his head. All he needed to do now was get to the address in the report.

Sneaking out of the precinct was easier than anticipated. No one bothered to question the raincoat walking through the building. Even the Chief was so engrossed in paperwork that she didn't notice. He quickly went to the back exit, flashed his badge at the garage attendant, and was soon on his way in a cruiser.

Driving took a bit of an adjustment. He had to move the seat in the cruiser back as far as it would go and sat on the front edge to make room for his tail. It made handling the controls awkward. He'd much rather have taken a motorcycle, but his horns made wearing a helmet impossible leaving this his only option.

He carefully drove through the streets and eventually brought the vehicle to a stop in front of a quaint little house miraculously untouched by the city's recent calamities. It was deep in the city which made him wonder why a spirit would even be so far from the Spirit Wilds. Before exiting, he looked in the rearview mirror to make sure his horns were thoroughly hidden. The hood sat a little weird on the curved branches, but hopefully nobody would notice. They'd probably wonder why he was wearing a raincoat before anything else. He'd cross that bridge when, or if, he came to it. Satisfied with his appearance, he took a deep breath and went to address the occupants.

As soon as he stepped on the stoop, he felt a sensation up his furred spine. It was the same as when he had faced Tokuga all those weeks earlier. Was it because there was a spirit inside the house? It was something he'd have to investigate eventually.

"Hello? I'm Detective Mako with the Republic City Police. I'm here about a spirit in your oven?" he stated while he politely knocked on the front door. It slowly creaked open and a woman, maybe in her early thirties, appeared. She gave him a once over, her trepidation obvious. Fortunately, she didn't seem concerned with his odd choice of clothing on the cloudless day.

"We had an officer here the other day. They told us there was nothing they could do about the spirit," she explained, her arms folded resolutely across her chest.

"I'm…umm…part of a special division," he lied. "Specifically trained to deal with spirits."

"We haven't heard of any 'special' division." A man, her husband judging by the matching rings on their fingers, joined them at the door.

"It's new." Minutes new in fact. "Can I come in?"

Now it was the man's turn to scrutinize him. After several moments, he stepped aside. "Sure. Why not? We've tried everything else. Kitchen's this way," the man grumbled. Mako followed the pair inside to the rust-colored room. Sunlight streamed through the window over the sink. Dishes were sunk in cold water, the table barren, the family chased out. Even now they refused to enter and waited at the entrance while he stepped onto the white linoleum. He looked back to see the couple had been joined by two small children, four and six maybe?

"Is that another policeman?" the younger asked.

"Yes," came the mother's reply. "He's going to help get rid of the mean spirit."

The accusation of "mean" spirit didn't sit well with him. It was statements like that which were causing strife between the two races. Although, the family wouldn't be upset if this spirit hadn't moved in where it didn't belong to begin with. He took a deep breath and cautiously knocked on the oven door.

"Republic City Police. I need you to come out of there." He didn't know how much weight his position would hold with the spirit, but he thought it best to approach the situation as professionally as possible. Especially considering what had happened the first time he tried to negotiate with a spirit.

A wave of heat rushed out as the door squealed open, and a pair of glowing eyes peered at him from the depths.

"Nope," came the terse response before the door slammed shut.

"C'mon," he persisted. "You can't stay in there without the owner's consent." He tugged on the door but the spirit held it tight.

"I like it in here…It's warm," the spirit purred. The door opened again except this time with a belch of fire. He quickly bent the flames away with a wave of his hand before they could do any damage.

"Will you please come out of there?" he asked, changing tactics. "I'm sure I can find a nice warm home for you in the Spirit Wilds."

"I don't think you ca~an hu~man," the spirit sing-songed. It kicked the door open into his stomach and he winced as it hit his hidden tail instead. Things weren't going as well as he had hoped. Now he understood why the report suggested the family move. This spirit was stubborn. He straightened himself, determined to resolve the conflict, then turned to the family. They were all staring at him incredulously. Even the children.

"Can I have you uhh…go into another room?" he asked. "Farther in the house so I can talk to the spirit alone. It may respond better if no one else is here."

In response, the mother shuffled her children away from the opening with her husband disappearing last. The sound of a shutting door assured him that they had taken refuge elsewhere.

He immediately ripped off his hood in the hopes he might have better luck if he showed it he was half-spirit.

"Will you get out here?" he hissed through the door. "I really can help."

The door opened and the spirit finally popped out. It looked similar to a paunch, naked cat whose face had taken the flat side of a frying pan. It leaned its short forearm on the metal door edge as it addressed him.

"Well, well, well…you must be the new Fetchling I've heard about," it mused as it looked at his horns.

"Fetchling?" he echoed. He hadn't heard the term before.

"You're not the first human to be cursed," the spirit responded. "As I'm sure you've noticed, those that are, bare a passing resemblance to the spirit that cursed them. A twisted doppelgänger if you will. A Fetchling."

The way the spirit explained it, it sounded almost derogatory.

"Anyway, you really think you can find me another—What do the humans call this thing? Oven?" the spirit finished.

"Yes!" he hastily replied. There had to be ovens in the abandoned buildings that had been swallowed by the vines that made up the city's Spirit Wilds. If not, he would get one. Whatever the spirit wanted so long as it was no longer bothering these people.

It tapped its short claws against its chin as it mulled it over. "Alright. As long as it's warm," it finally agreed.

He let out a relieved sigh, glad the spirit was finally being reasonable. A sudden scream shattered his ears and caused the spirit to disappear back into the oven. The younger child had slipped out of the room and was now pointing at him.

"Daddy! That man has horns!"

The father came rushing after the child as did the rest of the family. Terrified eyes gawked at him as the adults scooped the children off the ground away from the perceived threat. He slowly stepped back, his hands up to pacify them.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," he assured them. "I promise I am here to help."

The husband glared at him before handing his load to his wife who dashed the children away from the "monster."

"You come in here pretending to be a cop and threaten my family!"

That wasn't what was happening but, after being harassed by a spirit for so long, the man had clearly had enough.

"You both need to get out of my house!" A ball of flame appeared above the man's hand. A Firebender. That explained how the family cooked without a stove for however long.

Not wanting an altercation, Mako took another cautious step back and bumped into the stove. It cracked open after several frantic knocks.

"Time to go," he stated to the spirit while keeping his eyes on the angry man.

"It's cold out there!" the spirit hissed in response through the crack. There was no more time to argue. If a spirit didn't want to be touched, no human could touch them. That apparently didn't hold true for Mako. He reached into the oven, snagged the spirit by the scruff like a kitten, and stuffed it under his uniform to join his tail. With the spirit secured, he carefully edged past the man, hands still-raised, to the front entrance. The homeowner's eyes followed him the entire time, making sure they left.

Once outside, he dashed straight to his cruiser while the spirit struggled under his jacket. The spirit wanted to be warm so he was going to make sure it stayed warm. While he was driving, he slowed his breathing and focused. A trick he learned after becoming cursed was that he could raise the temperature of his skin through bending. More than the average Firebender. It was what had enabled him to melt metal as of late. He'd never used it outside his hands but it must be working with his chest because it wasn't long before the spirit stopped squirming.

"Warmmm," it purred.

Although there were plenty of abandoned ovens in the buildings around the Spirit Wilds, none of the ones Mako found had power. Since a cold oven was out of the question, he decided to go to the Airbenders for a more permanent solution.

The first place he went was the Spirit Portal. It wasn't unusual for Airbenders to be patrolling the area and, as luck would have it, he found Kai and Jinora there.

"And you have the spirit with you now?" Kai asked after he heard the situation.

Steam billowed out his jacket as he pulled it open just enough for the pair to peer inside. The spirit flinched at the sudden temperature shift, but was otherwise sound asleep.

"It's adorable." Jinora fawned over the sleeping spud. After what he'd just been through, he could think of a few other words to describe the spirit, but they weren't meant for civilized ears.

"Any ideas?" he finally asked, determined to keep his promise to the spirit.

"I guess we can take an oven to the temple, or one of the soup kitchens. That way it will always have power," Jinora offered. After Kuvira's attack, the Airbenders had set up several soup kitchens in order to aid refugees that had been displaced. The refugees were all in new homes now, but the kitchens remained open for anyone in need.

"Sounds good to me." He lead them back to the buildings where he had found the abandoned stoves. After several attempts, they found one in working condition that could be easily moved. With the spirit still asleep in his coat, he helped the best he could. He turned his back to the oven, hooking his hands underneath to carry it, and used his tail as additional support while the two young Airbenders carried the other end. With the oven loaded into the back of his cruiser, they all headed to what would hopefully be the spirit's new home.

The air acolyte volunteers at the soup kitchen happily helped unload the oven and found a spot in the back to install it. After it was in place, Mako pulled the spirit by the scruff from his jacket.

"Here's your new home…As promised," he stated.

The spirit's eyes lit-up as if it had found Tagaka's last treasure. It dove inside and was soon nestled-in like a platypus-bear ready for hibernation.

"All you need to do is make sure the oven stays on and the spirit stays warm," he instructed the new caretakers. They nodded respectfully in response. Airbenders, and acolytes, understood how best to treat spirits.

His hands washed the burden, he returned to his vehicle with Kai and Jinora.

"It was good of you to help that spirit, Mako," Jinora began. "We didn't even know it was living in the city. Most of them stick to the portal or the wilds."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well…When I saw that file, I couldn't let it go. Being stuck like this has to be good for something," he replied as he fired up the engine. Jinora gave him a proud smile. He gave her a lopsided smile in return. Maybe he should be proud of himself too.

"I better get going before th—"

"Mako?" The Chief's voice broke over the radio, sugary sweet. Not good. He grabbed the receiver. "Yes Chief?"

"Where are you?" she continued in her sweet tone.

"I'm with Kai and Jinora at one of the soup kitchens. I uhhh…needed their help with something," he answered.

The Airbenders exchanged a worried look while they listened to the conversation.

"That's funny…Because I just got a call from someone stating that a spirit with silver horns entered their house pretending to be a cop!" Beifong's tone shifted from sweet to outright angry as she spoke. "Get your ass back here now!"

He could practically feel the slam as the speaker went dead.

"That sounds bad," Kai commented.

It definitely wasn't good.

Mako didn't dally and went straight to Chief Beifong's office as soon as he returned to the precinct.

"What were you doing out there? I thought we agreed that you'd stay in the office until people start getting more accepting of spirits," she stated, considerably less angry than she sounded over the radio.

"And how long is that going to take?" he countered. His tail unintentionally snapped behind him, echoing his frustration. "People are going to keep being afraid unless the police start doing something! The Airbenders didn't even know about that spirit I helped today until after I told them about it. They can't be everywhere and neither can Korra. We should be doing more!"

Beifong sat silent, chewing on words she wasn't sure she should utter aloud.

"I didn't want to say anything because I wasn't sure how you'd handle it," she finally stated, her tone low. "The reason a lot of these calls about spirits aren't being handled is because none of the other officers want to end up like you."

No one wanted to end up like him? The revelation wasn't a complete surprise. Who would want to be turned into a half-spirit freak? Even for a short time since all it took to return a person to normal was to find the offending spirit and convince them to undo the curse. Unfortunately, in his case, that wasn't possible, but he imagined no one else wanted to run the risk of becoming permanently cursed like him.

He pondered a moment, wondering if he really wanted to pursue his next train of thought.

"Then let me do it."

"What?"

"Let me take care of complaints about spirits. I don't think I can be cursed twice, and I did manage to help that family today," he said firmly. Like he'd told Jinora, if he was stuck as a half-spirit, he might-as-well use it to his advantage. At least it would get him out on the street again.

"Your 'special division,'" the Chief quoted.

He hadn't meant it seriously. He had only made it up to get into the family's home. He wasn't planning on it becoming a reality.

"You know what that would mean don't you?" the Chief continued. "If you intend on policing humans and spirits, no more hiding under a cloak. You'd have to be working the beat just like you are. If today's fiasco proved anything, it's that the public doesn't like surprises."

He mulled it over. The family's reaction to his appearance had been…discouraging but the end result had been positive. He'd removed the spirit and rehoused it with only a little difficulty. If not for the child seeing his horns, things probably would have ended without any kind of altercation. However, the Chief was proposing he go out sans-cloak. He wasn't keen on that but, if he wanted people to trust him, he'd have to prove he wasn't the monster they viewed him as.

"I'll do it," he finally said. He couldn't stay hidden forever.

"Alright. I'll set-up a press conference for tomorrow morning and announce our new head of Spirit Investigations. Congratulations Detective Mako." She stood and offered her hand.

Dumbfounded, he blankly stared at the limb. Everything was happening so fast. What am I getting himself into? He grasped her hand, sealing the deal.

"Hope you're ready to reveal yourself to the city."

He wasn't sure he was.

It was late in the evening when he returned to the apartment. He entered to find Bolin comfortably on the couch with Pabu.

"So, how was your day?" Bolin cautiously asked.

His brother knew he wasn't enjoying his recent placement as a file jockey.

"I got a promotion. I think…" he replied as he removed his cloak and pulled his tail from his shirt. It was a relief to finally let it swing loose after spending most of the day being smothered. "I volunteered to start handling cases that involve spirits in the city. The Chief agreed and now she's going to appoint me head of Spirit Investigations in a press conference tomorrow morning."

"Head of Spirit investigations. Wow. Sounds like…a lot of responsibility. Not that you can't handle it of course," Bolin added as an afterthought.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence little bro," he stated sarcastically. He knew his brother meant well. "I'm going to get in the shower." Sweat still clung to him after baking himself for the spirit earlier.

"You know what? We should go out and celebrate. Couple of guys out on the town," Bolin said as he hoisted Pabu in the air to share his enthusiasm.

"I don't know," Mako shouted over the running water. Even hidden under his cloak, he hadn't spent much time out in public since "the incident."

"C'mon Mako. You've been cooped-up in here for weeks. You need to start getting out more," Bolin continued, determined to convince him. "You can't keep hiding in the apartment."

The first couple weeks after he'd discovered he was stuck as a half-spirit, it was hit or miss if he decided to even climb out of bed. If he did climb out of bed, he moped around and refused to do much of anything. Returning to work seemed to help get past that initial slump but, once he came home, he stayed here.

Bolin waited until Mako was finished to discuss the matter further. Ten minutes later, he heard the water dribble to a stop and saw Mako step into the hall with a towel clutched around his waist.

"Did you clean all your fur out of the drain?" he asked, catching his brother before he hit his bedroom. Mako rolled his eyes and marched back to the bathroom, water still dripping from the fluff on the end of his tail. Clearly he hadn't.

"Hey. You don't like it when I leave Pabu's fur in the shower," Bolin shouted after him. Fair was fair after all.

The task completed, Mako returned to the hallway. "There. Happy?" he huffed as he wiped the remaining fur still stuck to his fingers onto his towel.

"Much. Thank you," Bolin stated, granting his brother permission to get dressed. Mako emerged several moments later in his normal street clothes, the towel now over his head as he finished drying his hair under his horns.

"You're right Bolin. I can't keep hiding. We'll go out. Have a few drinks. It'll be fine," Mako said. He wasn't confident it would be fine, especially with how that family had reacted. After tomorrow however, it wasn't going to matter as the entire city was going to find out he was half-spirit. Time to start showing people who he really was. An ordinary guy who just happened to have horns, and a tail…and scales…and fangs…. He frowned as the mental list made him increasingly self-conscious.

"We don't serve spirits here," the barkeep stated as soon as he spotted Mako.

Even though he had kept himself hidden on the streets, he heeded his own advice and removed his hood upon entry into the establishment. A test before the press conference tomorrow. The barkeep's reaction wasn't a promising start. The rest of the tavern was soon staring at him, their expressions ranging from concern to outright fear.

"But it says so right on the widow," Bolin corrected, pointing outside.

Hanging in the window was a sign scrawled in neon lights that read: Spirits served here.

"Besides, he's only half-spirit so it doesn't count," he finished, resolutely defending his brother.

The barkeep slumped onto the bar and gave the pair a skeptical eyebrow. "Look wise guy…I don't care. I don't serve spirits here," he repeated, making it very clear Mako was not welcome.

"Let's just go Bolin," Mako said, as he replaced his hood. There was no need to cause more of a scene.

"Would it help if I said he's a cop?"

Mako's eyes went wide. Leave it to his brother to make such an obvious faux pax.

Several patrons' expressions went from mildly skeptical to downright hostile.

"Let's go Bolin," he insisted and wrapped his arm around his brother's chest like a sash.

"Fine. We're leaving. We didn't want to drink at this dive anyway!" Bolin spouted indignantly as Mako dragged him out the door.

Back on the streets, Mako sulked, his hands deep in his pockets with everything else hidden under his coat. The barkeeper's reaction wasn't surprising. Any thoughts to the contrary had been wishful thinking on his part. Very few people in the city wanted anything to do with spirits let-alone a half-spirit.

"We don't need that dump. There are plenty of other taverns," Bolin said, always the optimist.

"I don't think I'm in the mood to drink anymore," Mako sourly replied. Not in public anyway. He'd probably down a few beers once they got back home.

"There are spirits all over these days. Why are people having so much trouble with a half-spirit?" Bolin shrugged.

"Because they don't see a half-spirit Bolin," he grumped. "They don't even see a human. All they see is a monster."

"C'mon, don't be so hard on yourself bro," Bolin said. "I don't think you're a monster, well except when we were in the arena. You were a real beast back then!" he grinned, boxing the air as he brought back their days as pro-benders.

The slightest grin did crack Mako's sullen shell. His brother always had a way of lightening his mood. Through this entire ordeal, Bolin had never once treated him as anything other than his older brother.

"I don't care what anyone else says about you Bolin. You're the best little brother," he smirked.

"Yeah, I know," Bolin smiled.

The following morning, Chief Beifong stood in front of Metalbender Police HQ and prepared to speak. Hidden beneath his cloak, Mako stood behind her with Korra next to him. She had been called to attend just in case the Avatar was needed to vouch for him.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea," he nervously whispered to Korra as he looked over the sea of reporters and photographers, their camera bulbs breaking the surface like shark-squid fins. His confidence in front of the Chief yesterday had been shaken after his treatment at the tavern last night.

"I think it's brave of you to do this," Korra replied. "You're the first person to be cursed by a spirit in centuries. Well, technically the second but that's besides the point," she corrected. She was referencing the Triple Threat Triad's former leader Tokuga. He had actually been cursed first, but was now back to normal and sitting in a prison cell. As it currently stood, Mako was the only half-spirit in the world—that they knew about anyway.

"Hopefully, this will prove to people that, just because you're cursed, they don't need to be afraid of you. But, there's no going back after this. I understand if you've changed your mind, and I'm sure Lin will too," Korra finished.

They watched as the Chief stepped up to the microphone-laden podium. If he wanted to escape, now was the time. He thought it over. No. No more hiding. He had to keep repeating it to himself. People weren't going to accept him if he stayed in the background. It wasn't going to be easy, but he hadn't run from a challenge before and he wasn't about to start now. He carefully stepped on his tail to hold it still. The appendage had started nervously twitching on its own, as if confirming that this was a bad idea.

"Thank you for coming out this morning. I will try to keep this brief," the Chief began in her practiced, speech-giving tone. "I know with a Spirit Portal open in the city, humans and spirits have been forced to interact with each other. This has lead to rising tensions and the occasional conflict. That's why I've decided to create a new division dedicated specifically to respond to reports of spirits: the Bureau of Spirit Investigations. My hope is that this branch will help keep the peace between humans and spirits within the city."

Murmurs boiled through the crowd.

"Isn't that the Avatar's job?" a reporter finally asked.

Korra grimaced at the obvious implication that she wasn't doing her job.

"The Avatar's role is to bridge the gap between humans and spirits all around the world. Republic City needs to be able to protect its citizens without her," Beifong answered.

"Who's going to head this new division?" another reporter asked.

Mako nervously swallowed knowing that meant he was up next. Korra placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"You've got this," she said.

"Some of you may already be familiar with him but I want to introduce Detective Mako. He was pivotal in the investigation that lead to Tokuga's arrest and helped prevent the recent attack on the spirit portal. I'm confident he's the best officer for the job," the Chief replied.

"Is there a reason he's wearing a cloak?"

"Are you trying to keep his identity hidden?"

Beifong looked over her shoulder to him. He gave her a reassuring nod.

"I'm going to let him take over from here," she said, conceding the podium to him. "Good luck kid," she whispered as they exchanged positions.

He swallowed and cleared his throat.

"Good morning," he began with as much confidence as he could muster. He wasn't used to addressing large crowds, not to mention the nature of what he had to address. "A couple months ago, I had an encounter with a spirit that left me…cursed."

The pot began to bubble.

"Can you explain how you were 'cursed?'" a reporter asked.

Mako paused and took a deep breath.

"It will be easier if I show you." He removed his cloak, letting it fall to the stage, and exposed his horns and tail for all to see.

The pot boiled over. Gasps and murmurs flooded the crowd barely audible over the pops of cameras. Even through the bright early morning sun, the constant flashing forced him to shield his eyes. The conference's objective immediately shifted.

"Could this happen to other people?"

"Are the citizens of Republic City safe?"

"Should the Spirit Portal be closed?"

"Well…Ummm…" He didn't have the answers. It wasn't the direction he was expecting the conference to take. He knew revealing himself would cause a stir but he hoped he could quickly get past that. Then, he could address how he was going to handle his knew position. The barrage of questions left him tongue-tied. That's when Korra stepped up to the podium.

"As I've said before, the Spirit Portal is going to remain open," she began, well-versed in dealing with riled reporters. "What happened to Mako was due to unfortunate circumstances. The citizens of Republic City have nothing to worry about as long as humans and spirits treat each other with respect."

More questions followed with reporters demanding to know details. Chief Beifong returned to the podium and took charge of the conference.

"I want to assure the public that, despite his appearance, Detective Mako will be working diligently to uphold his oath to protect the citizens of Republic City both human and spirit. That's all the time we have for today," she stated, essentially ending the conference. The reporters continued to hurl questions at them while she ushered him and Korra into the precinct.

"That didn't go exactly as planned," Beifong said once they were safely inside her office. "I had hoped revealing you to the public would help put people's minds at ease. I didn't think those buzzard-wasps would flip the script like that."

"It's all right Chief," Mako said. He knew it was going to take time for people to accept his appearance. It wasn't going to happen over-night.

With that over, Korra had other duties to attend to.

"Is it possible I can get a ride to President Moon's office? She has some trade negotiations with the Water Tribes that she wants me to help with," Korra asked.

"I can take you," he offered. After the conference, a quiet drive with Korra would be a good way to decompress.

"You're going to be busy on your first day as head of Spirit Investigations," the Chief interrupted.

Busy was an understatement.

Mako went to his office to find his desk covered in reports. He sat down and began looking through the stacks. Spirit reports, every one of them, that ranged from general complaints all the way to spirits that had moved into basements. Some of them weeks old. He didn't even know where to begin. No wonder the Chief had been so agreeable to his suggestion for a separate division. This must be a load off her shoulders. It took a while, but he finally decided to start with the cases that directly involved spirits. These were fewer, but more urgent. He jotted down the addresses, then grabbed his hooded cloak and headed for the door.

"Leave that here!" Chief Beifong caught him. "I didn't go through all that effort this morning just for you to hide under that thing. People need to get used to seeing you on the streets."

He had grabbed the cloak out of habit. Not wearing it was going to take some getting used to.

"Yes, ma'am." He quickly replaced it on its hook before finally leaving.

Other officers had stopped what they were doing to watch the confrontation.

"What's everyone staring at? Get back to work!" Beifong ordered, causing the crowd to immediately resume their duties.

The first address on Mako's list was an apartment building on the west side. Apparently, a spirit had taken-up residence in someone's closet. He pulled his vehicle to a stop in front of the multi-story brick building and took a deep breath.

"Just a normal call like any other," he tried to convince himself, just as anxious about dealing with another spirit as he was walking out in public without his cloak. He glanced in the rearview, his silver horns looking back at him. "Just another day."

He walked inside and up the steps to the third floor. Nobody else seemed to be around to see him. An okay start. He eventually reached apartment 3C and knocked on the door.

"Republic City Police. I'm here about a spirit?"

The door creaked open and an elderly woman peered at him through the crack.

"Hello ma'am I'm—" He swore he'd been accosted by an Airbender with the speed the door slammed shut.

"Ma'am. Ma'am?" He knocked again but the door remained sealed. He hung his head, unsurprised by her reaction. Maybe he'd have better luck with the next call.

Unfortunately, it was the same situation all over the city. Doors slammed in his face. It was a wonder he still had a nose. He couldn't blame any of them though. These were people having problems with spirits. Why would they trust someone that looked like a spirit to help them? Even if he was a cop. After his tenth rejection, he returned to his vehicle and dropped his head on the steering wheel. It was going to be a very long day.

After work, Mako returned to his apartment and immediately threw himself face-first onto the couch. His tail curled over his back like a scorpion's with the fluffy tassel reaching his horns.

"Work went that well huh?" Bolin noted from the kitchen where he was tending to Pabu.

"Twenty-three calls Bolin. Twenty-three! And not a single person wanted to talk to a half-spirit detective," Mako vented.

"You know what you need? A wing-man. Someone that can schmooz the people before you talk to them," Bolin said.

He lifted his face from the sofa and gave his brother a skeptical eyebrow.

"Schmooz?"

"It's mover speak," Bolin explained, lording his mover star status over him momentarily. "Someone who can sweet talk people for you."

"Are you volunteering?" he asked as he sat-up properly.

"Oh no…I tried the whole police thing. Didn't like it. I'll leave that to you," Bolin replied.

It wasn't a bad idea though.

The next morning, he went straight to Chief Beifong's office with the proposal. He knocked on the door to find it open.

"Chief? Do you have a moment?" Cautiously, he stepped inside where the Chief was already on the phone. She held up a finger, making him wait while she finished her call.

"Yes, I assure you he is a member of the police and he was there to help. Yes. Yes. I'm sorry about the situation and I'll see to it that things get resolved." She hung up the phone and rubbed her temples. "I knew putting you out there so soon would be a risk, but I've already received eight calls this morning about a spirit pretending to be with the police. Doesn't anybody read the news?" Even if they had missed the press conference, the morning headlines were sure to mention the half-spirit on the force.

"That's less than half," he couldn't help but mumble to himself. He decided not to mention the other fifteen people he had tried to assist yesterday.

"What did you need Mako?" the Chief asked with an irritated sigh, finally acknowledging him.

"I wanted to see if I could get someone to help with my investigations," he replied. After what he had just heard, it was beginning to sound like a better plan than he first gave Bolin credit for. "Someone that can schmooz people ahead of me."

The expression the Chief gave him was almost identical to the one he had given Bolin last night.

"Bolin's idea. Basically someone that can assure the citizens I'm there to help," he finished explaining.

"Fine, I'll assign you a partner," she agreed, the multiple complaints having already worn her down. "Dismissed."

Mako removed himself and went to his office where more reports were stacked and waiting, along with something else. On top of the files was a crude drawing of a horned-man breathing fire with the words dragon-man scribbled on top. A clear jab from his "fellow" officers. His filing experience allowed him to recognize the writing so he knew exactly who the culprit was. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction. He locked eyes with the offending officer, the man clearly waiting for his reaction, and swiftly reduced the paper to ash in a flash of blue flame. It must not have been what the derider was expecting because he turned back to his desk with a look of disgruntled disappointment. Mako didn't care what the other officers thought of him. He had a job to do and he was going to do it.

He began sorting the files and paused when a shadow fell over his desk. He looked up to see a young officer, in metal armor, standing at attention. He recognized the man as the rookie from the night he had broken Mushi and Shen out of jail.

"Officer Keto reporting for duty." The man's tone was just shy of disrespectful. Snickers came from outside the office directed at the rookie. Clearly, nobody envied his position.

Mako ignored them and maintained his professionalism.

"Thank you for agreeing to help me." He stood and extended his hand to his would-be partner. The rookie looked past the offered hand straight to his horns instead.

"Just following orders sir," Keto answered without reciprocating the handshake. It was another slight from his fellow officers that he would have to let slide.

"Let's just get to work," he finally sighed and left the precinct with Keto dragging behind him.

Today, Mako decided it might be safer if he and his new partner handled the simple complaint calls. Things definitely went better with Keto along. People were at least willing to keep their doors open. Even so, they were still hesitant to talk to him, addressing him only when necessary. Most of the time he was ignored while people complained to the rookie. A spirit broke my window. More like a child broke the window and was passing blame. A spirit scared my child. Maybe, but there was nothing they could really do about that. Will the spirits ever be out of the city? No. They're here to stay. What were the police doing about them? That's what the Bureau of Spirit Investigations was for. Most of the complaints any officer could have handled had they not been so afraid of spirits. There were only a couple cases that involved negotiating with an actual spirit. Those incidents were handled without too much fuss as the spirits were more receptive to a Fetchling, which was the whole point.

Although Keto was a proper officer in front of people, it was a different story in the cruiser. The young rookie wouldn't sew two words together for him let alone look at him. It made for very awkward rides in-between calls.

Mako eventually broke the silence. "I'm going to stop at the Spirit Portal for lunch. Want me to drop you somewhere?" He was hoping the rookie would say yes so he wouldn't have to deal with the sullen attitude.

"No," came the flat response. "I better stay with you in case we get a call and I need to assist you." Or more aptly, babysit by the man's tone.

"Suit yourself." He shrugged, burying his disappointment. Being in the vehicle all day, forced him to keep his tail wrapped around his waist so it wouldn't touch Keto. He wanted to have lunch at the Spirit Portal so that he could unwind it for a while. If anybody saw him in the area, they should leave him alone as just another spirit. Having Keto along could draw unwanted attention. However, getting a partner had been his idea. He'd just have to put up with it.

The park around the Spirit Portal was sparsely populated for the time of day. Only some elderly people enjoying the scenery and Airbenders milling around the portal. Mako wandered for a bit, the warm breeze at his back, until he found a nice grassy spot to sit. He let out a relieved sigh as he stretched his tail out on the grass. Keto had followed him like an obedient lapdog and took a seat on a bench several meters away.

While Mako pulled food from his bag, in today's case leftover bean buns and some egg rolls, two small spirits dashed towards him.

"Mako! Mako!" a small fluff shouted as it flew near. "Hi Mako!" It was followed by an equally small, white, four-tailed fox.

"Hey Yuku. Tema," he pleasantly greeted the young spirits.

"Is that a new friend?" Yuku asked as his gaze fell to Keto. To the small spirit, everyone was a potential friend.

The Metalbender barely glanced at them though he did seem curious.

"He's my new partner," Mako answered, though he wondered why Tema hadn't said anything in response to Yuku's "friend" inquiry. It was unlike the fox to be so quiet.

"He is," Tema stated affirming his statement.

"Partner?" Yuku echoed curiously.

"He's a police officer, like me," he explained to the naive spirit.

"He's not," came Tema's terse reply, although it was hard to tell what the spirit meant. Was it that Keto wasn't cursed like him? Or was it that he wasn't part of the Metal Police. For all he knew, it was something less obvious. The answer wasn't as straight forward as what usually came from the small spirit. The brief conversation turned Keto's mild curiosity into intrigue as the man left his bench to get a closer look. Mako watched carefully as the pair interacted.

"Mako's partner. A police officer," Yuku repeated the information as if to better process it. He floated up to Keto who stepped back as the fluff scrutinized him.

"Y, Yes…My name is Keto," the rookie stammered.

"It is," Tema confirmed.

"Ke-to. You're a human?" Yuku asked.

"I am," Keto replied.

"He is," Tema confirmed.

"Why are you shiny? Like Mako's horns," Yuku wondered as he examined the man's armor.

"I'm a Metalbender. This is part of my uniform," he answered, still clearly nervous.

"It's true."

It was subtle, but Mako thought he heard the slightest hint of irritation in Tema's normally emotionless voice.

"Tema watch! I'm going to Metalbend!" Yuku grabbed a piece of Keto's helmet with his little leaf hands and desperately tugged at the steel. He was unsuccessful of course. Keto didn't seem to mind, but Tema looked displeased. The little fox turned tails and hopped away from them. Yuku's interest in Metalbending instantly vanished as he chased after his friend.

"Are we going to play now Tema?" the fluff asked as they disappeared into the nearby wilds without sparing the officers a second glance.

"I…I didn't know spirits could be so innocent," Keto said once the spirits were gone.

"Have you ever talked to spirits before?" Mako asked.

"I guess not," Keto answered. "I wasn't exactly interested in making friends with them after what happened."

Mako's interest was piqued. "What did happen?"

"When the spirit vines came, my parents were forced out of our family home. Changes we had to accept because the Avatar decided the Spirit Portal should stay open. They lost everything! I was just starting to make it on my own when they had to move in with me! Do you have any idea what that's like?" Keto fumed. It seemed like a petty reason, but it did explain why he wasn't fond of spirits.

"My parents are dead," Mako flatly replied. What he wouldn't give for them to be alive to move back in with him and Bolin. Although, he had to pause to wonder what they would think of his current state.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know," Keto said sheepishly.

"It was a long time ago," he replied with a shrug. He wasn't looking for sympathy. He just couldn't relate.

Keto sat back down, this time in the grass near him. Not too close though.

Ah. Mako had been on the fence as to which camp Keto fell into, but now he knew. Keto was a cowerer. Touch the half-spirit, and you'll be cursed.

"Y'know. I haven't forgotten what happened when you broke into the prison that night," Keto began with a slight grin. "I think you owe me an apology."

Mako recalled the night of the break-out and how he had accidentally sent Rolin crashing into the rookie. Not one of his better nights.

"Believe it or not, I was trying to keep you from getting hurt. I still don't have full control of this thing." He flipped his tail across the ground to accentuate his point.

"I'll keep that in mind," Keto chuckled while keeping a wary eye on the limb.

There was another silence but this time more relaxed as the tension between them started to lift. His meager lunch finished, he got to his feet and brushed the grass from his pants and tail.

"Let's get back to work. We still have plenty of calls to look into."

"Right Detective," Keto replied, finally addressing him properly.

They walked back to the vehicle unaware of Tema watching them from the Spirit Wilds with an angry scowl on their face.

As the weeks passed, Mako got more comfortable in his role while Keto got more comfortable with him. The rookie was no longer afraid of him at the very least. Average citizens still refused to talk to him without Keto however, and the deriders still mocked him. More often than not he found crude drawings or notes on his desk. Stuff he could easily report to the Chief but chose not to. Instead, he simply incinerated the papers when he spotted them. They'd get bored of it when they realized they weren't going to get a rise out of him. On the positive side, there were fewer reports on his desk each day. Hopefully that meant relationships between humans and spirits were improving. Either that or less people were complaining. Whatever the reason, it made less work for him.

Nine o'clock sharp, Keto was in the office. Mako could set a clock to the rookie.

"Where are we headed this morning detective?" Keto asked, much as he did every morning recently.

"Most of these are just complaints. Do you think you can handle them?" He usually didn't need to be involved if a person only wanted to complain about spirits.

"I should be able to," Keto replied. "But what happens if I need to deal with an actual spirit?"

"I'm going to have a radio on all day. If something comes up, you can have dispatch call me," he said.

"What are you going to be doing anyway?"

"After…this…happened." He motioned to himself. "I told the spirits that if they ever need help, they can come to me, but I don't think they'd call the police. I want to make sure they aren't having problems with humans." If he was going to do his job properly, he had to make sure he was serving both sides as equally as he could.

"As your partner, I think I should come along," Keto stated. "Show spirits I can help too."

"I don't know…"

Keto didn't even like spirits until recently. He wasn't sure he wanted to take him into the wilds. His short experience with spirits showed they could get kind of testy with humans they didn't trust.

"You basically said it yourself, spirits need to know they can trust the police," Keto insisted. "If we're going to continue being partners, they should see us working together."

"All right. We'll take care of these complaints, and then head to the wilds around the portal," he relented, hoping he wouldn't regret his decision.

As Mako suspected, the calls were all just standard complaints. Stuff Keto could have easily handled without him. In fact, most of the time he was barely acknowledged; the subordinate as opposed to the superior. By the fifth call, he decided to wait in the car.

With the routine calls finished, they drove to the Spirit Portal. Kai and Jinora happened to be there as it was their turn to patrol. They swooped over on their wing-suits when they spotted the officers.

"Hi Mako," Jinora greeted him.

"What brings you guys to the wilds?" Kai added.

"Just checking-in with the spirits," Mako answered. "This is my partner Keto. He's been helping me."

"We heard about your new position. Congratulations," Jinora beamed. "It's great that you found a way that you can help spirits while still working as a detective."

"Umm…Thanks," he said, nervously rubbing his scaled neck. His new position hadn't been intentional. Just something he'd kind of stumbled into.

While Mako chatted with the Airbenders, Keto wandered near the Spirit Portal. The few lesser spirits that were floating around it, fled as he approached.

"Wait!" Keto hollered. "I just want to talk." He chased after them and stopped just short of the beam as they vanished through it. He'd never been so close to the entrance. Tentatively, he reached his hand towards the inviting glow.

"Get away from there human!"

Mako and the Airbenders turned at the commotion to see a large, angry spirit charging at Keto. Its four stone legs tore-up large sods of grass as it ran.

Mako threw himself in-between his partner and the rampaging spirit.

"STOP!" he hollered, and threw his hands up as if they would be enough to hold it at bay. To his surprise, it worked as the spirit slid to a halt mere centimeters from his face.

"What happened?" Jinora asked the spirit.

"This human was going to violate the Spirit Portal!" the spirit managed to yell through its mouthless face.

"I wasn't violating it," Keto stammered, rattled by the large spirit. "I was just curious. I've never been to the Spirit World."

"For good reason. You humans have no respect for us or our world," the spirit growled, bending its head around Mako to glare at the Metalbender.

"I'm sure he didn't mean any disrespect," Jinora said. Her calm demeanor helped diffuse the angry spirit.

"N, No I didn't," Keto concurred as he withered under the spirit's glare.

The spirit turned its attention back to Mako. He tried not to move while it assessed him.

"You've been touched by our kin," the spirit noted to which Mako affirmed with a silent nod. "See to it he doesn't do it again Fetch," it finished with a snort, putting the responsibility square on Mako's shoulders. The spirit gave the rookie one last, angry scowl before it vanished through the portal.

The threat averted, the Airbenders escorted Keto away from the portal where he fell to his knees as his body ceased to function.

"That spirit was a lot scarier than any of the spirits I've met so far," he eventually gasped once his lungs started working again. "But it stopped when it saw you," he finished with an astonished expression on his face as he turned to Mako.

"I think it was only because I'm half-spirit, or a Fetchling as they say. Otherwise, it would have easily gone through me to get to you." Literally. He offered Keto a hand, which the man accepted, and pulled the rookie to his feet. It was the first time Keto allowed himself to be touched by him since they began working together. It was a step in the right direction for their partnership, but this little altercation meant Keto wasn't quite ready to deal with regular spirits yet.

The next morning, Mako began his routine of sorting through reports, sending the "unfavorable ones" to the incinerator. The "dragon-man" doodles had died down, but the glares and whispers from the deriders in the precinct hadn't. Many were still jealous of his promotion, if it could even be called that. For some reason, it put him in such a mood that he didn't even look up when Keto entered the office.

"I don't know where we're headed yet today Keto," he huffed, anticipating the rookie's usual morning inquiry. The man seemed surprised by his outburst.

"Are you okay Detective?" Keto asked. "You sounded like the Chief just now." It wasn't meant as a compliment.

He let out a sigh. "I guess this morning is off to a bad start," he replied apologetically. No reason to take his frustrations out on the rookie. "Let's just head out."

"I was thinking we should try the Spirit Wilds again today," Keto began excitedly.

Mako had to pause as he wondered why the man would be so anxious to return to the area.

"Are you sure? I would think you'd want to avoid spirits after what happened yesterday," he began. This was a cowerer after all. "Besides, I thought you didn't like spirits." He deliberately swung his tail into view.

"That's true…I mean…I didn't but…" Keto stammered.

"It's fine," he interrupted. "At least you're trying to understand spirits unlike some officers." He said the last part loud enough for eavesdroppers to hear. They quickly turned back to their desks upon realizing they'd been caught.

"We can go back to the wilds, but let's be more careful this time."

Like most days, the area around the Spirit Portal was largely vacant. Only a few Airbenders and spirits hovered nearby.

"Mako!" Yuku appeared from nowhere and flew towards him while Tema bounded through the grass. The little fox stopped short when they spotted Keto.

"We found you!" the fluff squealed.

"We did," Tema stated.

"You two remember Keto." Mako motioned to his partner.

"We do," Tema responded coldly.

"Metalman!" Yuku exclaimed. "Do you want to play?"

"He does," came Tema's curt answer.

Keto was clearly confused by the spirit's response and turned to Mako.

"They've always been right before," he said with a shrug. It was the only answer he could give the rookie as he had no explanation for the spirit's responses.

"I am," Tema added.

"C'mon Metalman!" Yuku shouted and dashed away. Keto ran after the spirit in an impromptu game of tag. Tema however, stayed stalwartly at Mako's side while their four tails constantly twitched. He squatted down next to the small fox. He hadn't known the spirit long, but he knew something was bothering them.

"You don't want to play though," he began, phrasing his statement so Tema could answer since their speech seemed limited to two word responses.

"I do," it said.

"But you don't want to play with Keto."

"I don't."

"You don't like him?"

"I don't."

"Why not? He was a little rough at first but he's not such a bad guy."

"He is," Tema scowled, his eyes glued to the rookie.

That came as a surprise to Mako as he was pretty sure the little spirit couldn't lie. It must be why they were so cold to Keto. They knew something he didn't. Or maybe they were just jealous of seeing their playmate running around with this new human. At this point, he couldn't be sure. He just didn't understand them well enough. Whatever the case, he took Tema's statement into cautious consideration.

"We should get going. We're still on duty," he finally said as he prepared to leave.

"You are," Tema confirmed, their scowl quickly vanishing.

"Let's go Keto. If the Chief found out we were playing around, she'd skin us both," he called to his partner. Keto stopped his mock Metalbending with Yuku and jogged over to rejoin him.

"Ready whenever you are Detective," he huffed.

The pair gave the spirits a brief wave as they left to continue their patrol.

Yuku excitedly waved his little leaf hands at them. "Bye Mako! Bye Metalman!"

"That was fun," Keto smiled once they were back in the cruiser.

"Yeah. Fun," Mako flatly repeated while Tema's response buzzed in the back of his mind.

The two officers chatted amicably as they drove around the wilds. Occasionally, Mako would break the conversation and stop the car by random spirits. He wanted to start expanding his role as police liaison between humans and spirits and that meant talking to them as well. Most spirits barely acknowledged him, seeing him as just another human. It was ironic considering most humans treated him like a spirit. The ones that did talk to him were…agreeable at best. They recognized him as a Fetchling, and his position with the police, if not much else. It was a start.

It was nice that Keto was finally relaxing around him too. After so much time working together, it seemed like they might actually become friends. They were on their way back to the precinct when Keto popped an unsettling question which cast a permanent shadow on that assumption.

"How do I become half-spirit?" the rookie suddenly asked.

The question surprised Mako to the point that he temporarily lost control of the cruiser. Cars honked and swerved around him as he quickly corrected course.

"What?!" he finally managed to spit-out.

"I want to be half-spirit, like you," Keto reiterated.

"You don't know what you're asking," Mako declared. "You've worked with me for weeks now. You've seen how people treat me. All they see is a monster. Why would you want to be half-spirit?"

"People will come around eventually. They'll have to. And, if I was half-spirit, then spirits would be willing to trust me too," Keto said.

It was strange to think that Keto went from hating spirits to suddenly wanting to be one.

"You can get spirits to trust you without becoming a Fetchling," Mako replied, trying desperately to dissuade the rookie. He didn't want to think about what would happen to someone who was deliberately trying to get themselves cursed. "Look what you did with Yuku today."

"He's just a kid." Keto dismissed the argument. "I want to be able to handle all spirits, like that large one you stood-up to yesterday."

The conversation was getting worse by the second. It didn't sound like it was trust that Keto wanted from the spirits. He was starting to sound like Tokuga.

"No," Mako finally stated.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Keto replied as tension started to fill the vehicle.

"I mean…You can't become a Fetchling," Mako reiterated firmly.

"Oh? So I need your permission," Keto snapped.

"It's not a matter of permission," Mako replied, trying to maintain his composure. "It's dangerous."

"Dangerous for who? You did it! So did that criminal Tokuga! Why can't I?!"

"Tokuga was being punished for attacking the Spirit Portal. He was returned to normal after he was arrested!" he explained. "As for me—"

"So the great Detective Mako is the only one that can be half-spirit!" Keto interrupted mockingly.

That's when he'd heard enough. He slammed the brakes and swung the cruiser to the curb. More honking and curses were thrown at him as vehicles were forced to swerve around them.

"Have you seen me Keto! I have horns and fangs and a tail that gets in the way of everything! And you don't want to see the mess on my back! If I could return to normal I would!" he snapped. "Trust me. You don't want to be a half-spirit."

"Whatever you say Detective," Keto grumbled and slumped down in his seat like a scolded child.

That was the end of the discussion, and any other conversations for the rest of the day.

After work, Mako went to Asami's house looking for Korra. What Tema had said, and the conversation he'd had with Keto, bothered him and he wanted to discuss the matter with her.

"Mako?" Asami questioned the hooded figure at her door. He still wasn't entirely comfortable walking around in public without covering himself.

"Hey Asami. Is Korra here?"

"She's in the living room. Is something wrong?" Asami asked. She knew he wouldn't be at her door unannounced for no reason.

"I'm not sure. Can I talk to her?"

"Sure. Come on in." Asami stepped aside and let him enter. He followed her to the living room where Korra was curled up on a sofa.

"Mako? What's going on?" she asked when she spotted him. He removed his hood and calmly explained what had happened with his partner

"He does realize how dangerous it is to mess with spirits right?" Korra said once he finished.

"I tried to tell him that," he replied. "But he got upset, and then there's something Tema said."

"Tema? That's one of your little spirit friends isn't it?" Asami interrupted with a kind smile. Word had apparently gotten around.

His "serious guy" persona cracked a little. "More or less," he replied as sheepishly rubbed his scaled neck. It was a little weird to think he'd made friends with such a child-like spirit.

"Don't be embarrassed. You should feel honored you have spirit friends," Korra added, trying to alleviate his nervousness. "Anyway, what did Tema say?"

"He never says much but he's never wrong either," he explained. "I happened to say that Keto wasn't a bad guy and Tema said 'he is.'"

"Do you think he'll try something?" Korra asked.

"What Tema said makes me think he might. That's why I came here. I thought if he won't listen to me, maybe the Avatar could convince him to leave the spirits alone," he replied.

"Sure, The Avatar would be happy to tell him what a terrible idea it is to mess with spirits," she chuckled, emphasizing the title that was unnecessary amongst her friends. "But maybe we should talk to the spirits first and let them know what's going on."

The golden glow of the Spirit Portal split the night sky, the beacon extending higher than any skyscraper in Republic City. Near the portal, spirits quietly floated along. They gave a wary eye to the man that suddenly appeared in the area.

"Yuku? Yu~ku," the man called out over the grassy park.

"You know my name?"

The startled man spun around to see the dandelion spirit suddenly behind him. Its fox companion was nowhere in sight.

"Are you a friend?" Yuku hadn't noticed the fox was missing and immediately looked down for an answer to his question. "Tema?" The fluff nervously looked around for his friend until the man drew his attention again.

"You remember me don't you? I'm Keto. We played together," the man explained.

Yuku's body flipped upside down while its leaf hands hung beneath him.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he squinted to recognize the man.

"Yeah," Keto answered and began to mock Metalbend.

"Metalman!" Yuku squealed, finally convinced. "Why aren't you shiny?"

"That's my uniform. I only wear it when I'm working." He had come to the portal in his street clothes hoping not to draw attention to himself.

"Because you're a police, like Mako," Yuku smiled satisfactorily, proud he'd come to the conclusion himself.

"Not quite like Mako," Keto corrected. "That's why I came here to find you. I need your help."

"Help? Can I help?" Again he looked for assurance from the still absent fox. Anxiety was quickly turning to fear. "Tema?"

"There's no reason to be afraid," Keto stepped in front of the fluff to reassure him. "I'm your friend too right?"

"I…don't know," Yuku frowned anxiously.

"Why don't I take you someplace new and we can play some more," Keto suggested, hoping to keep the spirit's attention.

"Yay! Okay!" Yuku squealed, temporarily forgetting his companion. He followed Keto to a waiting car, and the man drove away from the portal with his prize.

Korra brought Naga to a stop at the Spirit Portal while Mako braced in the saddle behind her. The area was quiet with only the sound of the night breeze passing over them. They dismounted and were almost immediately come upon by a large spirit made of stone. Mako recognized it as the same one that had threatened to crush Keto.

"Fetch. I would have a word." The spirit had recognized him even under his cloak. "I thought I told you to keep that human away from the portal," it scolded with a stern scowl on its rock face.

"Fetch?" Korra echoed, confused. "You're not talking about me are you? And why would I keep Mako from the portal?"

Her confusion was warranted since he hadn't told her about the term or the incident with Keto.

"It's talking about me. I'm the Fetchling or Fetch," he hastily explained as he removed his hood. "And they must mean Keto. Was he here? When?" If Keto had been here, that meant he and Korra may already be too late.

"Not long ago. He came and lured the dandelion spirit away," the spirit answered.

It had to be Yuku.

"Do you know where they went?" he frantically asked, now concerned for the rookie and the young spirit.

"I'm not foolish enough to travel into the city," the spirit scoffed. "All I can tell you is he headed south followed by the Deceiver."

"Who's the Deceiver?" Korra interrupted.

"A terrible spirit that wears the guise of a four-tailed fox," the spirit answered.

"That has to be Tema," Mako interceded.

Korra turned to him. "I thought you said it was just a child?"

"It is the Deceiver," the spirit answered instead. "They take whatever form they believe is most beneficial to them."

"We need to find Keto," Mako stated, the urgency of the situation now much worse.

"I can have Naga track him, but we'll need something with his scent," Korra offered.

"Let's go to the precinct," he said as they returned to Naga. "I can get something of Keto's there." They climbed aboard the waiting polar-bear dog and raced to Metalbender Police HQ.

Across the city, Keto parked his car near an old warehouse, the area illuminated by a single street lamp. He stepped out of the vehicle onto the street, Yuku soon joining him.

"Is this it? Is this the fun place?" Yuku asked. He spun under the single lamp and several seeds detached from his body to be carried off by the breeze. "Are we going to play now?"

"Soon," Keto answered. "But I have a question first. Wouldn't it be more fun if I was a spirit too?"

Yuku squealed.

"Yay! We're both spirits now! Whee!" The fluff zipped around, oblivious to Keto's meaning.

"Stop!" Keto snapped, startling the fluff. He hadn't come to play.

Yuku stopped mid-spin, tears welling up in its eyes.

"Don't cry. Don't. Cry." Keto regained his composure. "What I'm saying is…I want to be half-spirit like Mako."

"Mako?" the fluff sniffled. "Tema says he's a human and a spirit."

"That's right. And I want you to do that to me," Keto said.

"How?"

Keto's face contorted into an angry frown.

"What do you mean how?" A realization suddenly came to him. "It's Mako isn't it? He told you not to help me!" He stomped his foot down and bent a chunk of asphalt into the air to threaten the spirit.

"You're scary," Yuku wept as he sunk to the ground, terrified of the man standing over him.

"Why won't you help me?!" Keto shouted.

A figure moving in the shadows caught his attention. He turned his weapon on the intruder, unsure who had found him.

A large white paw slid into the beam of light.

"He can't help you," a low voice rumbled, its cadence rattling Keto's being like a mini-earthquake. "He doesn't know how."

The giant paw was slowly followed by a giant fox that emerged from the shadowed depths. Nine tails whipped behind it and drool dripped from the wide, fanged grin on its face. It spoke but its mouth didn't move.

"But I do."

Officers turned in shock as Mako burst into the locker room. They quickly moved aside as he began to search the lockers.

"What's going on Mako?" an irritated officer asked.

"Keto's locker. Which one is it?" he hastily replied as he examined the labels.

"Here, but why?" a second officer asked as he pointed the locker out to him.

"I don't have time to explain," he answered. Everyone cleared a path as he approached the locker in question.

"How do you plan on getting in Detective?" someone sneered. An obvious derider. "It's locked."

Mako answered by grabbing the padlock, melting it in his hand, then shaking the slag to the floor.

"What? You can't just break into someone's loc—"

"I said don't have time to explain. Keto's life is in danger!" he replied as he grabbed the rookie's helmet from it's shelf and headed back to the exit. Several officers jumped in front of him.

"What are you doing?"

"Just because you're some half-spirit freak the Chief puts up with, doesn't mean you can do whatever you want," an officer spat.

Mako was stunned. He knew many of his fellow officers viewed him as a monster, undeserving of his position, but this was the first time any of them openly confronted him. If he wasn't careful, this was going to turn into a brawl.

"Move. Please," he asked as calmly as he could, doing his best to keep his tail from betraying how angry he was. He wouldn't feed their perception of him, but he had to get through.

"Mako? Did you get what you needed?" Korra's voice echoed down the corridor. She had followed him into the precinct but stopped at the men's locker room. The distraction was enough to break the officers' focus and allowed him to shove past them to rejoin her.

"What happened?" she asked when she noticed the angry expression on his face.

"Nothing," he stated as he marched past her. "Let's go."

Back in the night air, he let Naga sniff the helmet before joining Korra in the saddle.

"Let's go Naga," Korra spurred the polar-bear dog who began tracking the scent.

"Are you really okay Mako?" she asked once they were on their way.

"I'm fine," Mako answered curtly. He didn't want to discuss his recent treatment from his fellow officers. They had bigger things to worry about. "Let's just focus on finding Keto."

"Who?…Who are you?" Keto paled beneath the huge spirit and his hovering chunk of asphalt fell to the ground as he lost focus.

"Does it matter?" the fox replied. Drool dripped from the long tongue that hung from its mouth. "You want to be half-spirit don't you?" Instantly, it wrapped itself around Keto. "Don't answer that…I already know what you want." Impossibly, its grin grew wider.

Nearby, Yuku shrank behind the light pole.

"It's a monster…" he said as he trembled, his voice barely a whisper.

The fox flinched at the word "monster" and returned to the shadows in a white whirlwind, as if afraid of the smaller spirit.

"Will you accept my power?" the voice finally asked.

Keto didn't hesitate.

"Ye—"

The spirit's giant paw stretched from the shadows and slammed him into the ground before he could even finish.

"Then you shall have it!"

"Stop!"

Keto craned his neck to see Mako leaping off a polar-bear dog accompanied by the Avatar.

"Don't interfere Mako!" Keto glared at him. "This is what I want!"

"No it isn't," Mako replied, removing his hood to show off his horns. Maybe he could still talk some sense into the rookie.

"Besides, if you let a greater spirit like that posses you, you'll die," Korra hastily added.

"Die?" Keto echoed, the seriousness of his situation finally sinking in.

"Did I forget to mention that?" The fox's face broke into the light as its neck twisted to a grotesque angle. "Guess it slipped my mind."

"Let him go," Mako stated as he stepped between Keto and the spirit. That seemed to be his role as of late: a human wall. Yuku dashed from his hiding spot and sat himself firmly between the horns on his head.

"I'm scared Mako," he whispered, shedding seeds as he trembled.

"It will be okay Yuku. You're safe now," he reassured the little spirit, and indirectly, the large spirit. The fox paused at the sight of the shaking fluff.

"Are you ready to end this?" he asked, knowing he had nothing to fear from the greater spirit. Even if it could possess him, he knew it wouldn't.

"But this human!" they snarled. Air wheezed out of Keto as he was pressed further into the ground by the spirit's paw.

"I'm going to take care of Keto," Mako replied.

A faint grin appeared on the fox's face.

"You are," they replied, confirming their identity to Mako.

Keto wasn't off the hook however. Korra and Mako watched helplessly as the spirit slowly dragged their paw over him. The rookie screamed as their long nails tore the flesh along his body before it vanished into the shadows. In a vain attempt to stop the bleeding, Keto covered his face with his hands

"I'll see if I can find some water to heal him!" Korra shouted. While Korra went to search, Mako worked on trying to slow the bleeding. He tore off what was left of Keto's shirt and pressed it to his chest. Korra returned several minutes later with a bathtub full of liquid bent above her head. Mako moved aside as she quickly applied the water to the wounds and went to work.

"Is the monster gone?" Yuku finally managed, still trembling between Mako's horns while its leaf hands clung to the branches.

A small four-tailed fox emerged from the direction of the greater fox spirit.

"It is," the spirit replied in their normal flat tone.

"Tema!" Yuku rushed to his friend and gave them a hug. "You were lost!"

"I was," Tema confirmed.

Once Korra finished treating Keto, Mako hauled him to his feet.

"We're going to have a long talk with the Chief tomorrow," he said as he cuffed the sullen rookie.

Even after being healed by the Avatar, scars remained on Keto. They would serve as a permanent reminder of spirit vengeance. He was lucky he'd escaped with his life. The incident also served as a warning for Mako not to underestimate spirits. Cute, child-like, little Tema proved to be not so cute when provoked. It made him wonder what secrets Yuku might be hiding.

They took Keto to the precinct and, although there was some resistance from the deriders working, the man was eventually placed in a holding cell. The charge? Harassing a spirit? There really wasn't any precedent since people generally weren't foolish enough to mess with spirits. That was quickly changing with this being the third serious altercation between the two races in as many months, and it probably wasn't going to be the last.

"That explains why Mom always told me not to wander around the Spirit Wilds," Koji said once the story was over. "I didn't think spirits could be so mean."

"Spirits aren't too different from people when you think about it," Mako replied. "There are mean ones, but most of them just want to be treated with respect like anyone else."

"What happened to Keto afterwards?" Ryu asked.

Mako shrugged. "Since there were no laws at the time to protect spirits, Keto technically didn't do anything wrong. Chief Beifong had no choice and released him the following day, but she made it clear that such behavior wasn't going to be tolerated. He was immediately fired. I didn't bother to keep track of him after that."

"Wasn't Nana Zu your partner in the Bureau?" Mari questioned. "I thought you two founded it together."

"Your grandmother was actually my second partner, and she turned out to be the best negotiator, both with humans and spirits. That's when the Bureau started to really gain traction," Mako replied as he stood and stretched. "But I think that's a story for another day."